Of Rabbits and Black Cats
by DancingInStars
Summary: NatsuRuka friendship; Their bond as defined by moments as brothers, best friends and each others closest confidant. A series of drabbles to fill in the blank chapters in their tale; it was their friendship, after all, that kicked everything into motion.
1. Chapter 1

_My first attempt at a GA fanfic, so bear with me... please? ^-^ I've been involved with this fandom for a long time, and even from the start, Natsume and Ruka were always my favourite characters. The friendship aspects of the manga had always appealed to me in more ways than the romance. ::runs and hides from leagues of shippers::._

_So, here I'll be attempting a series of NatsuRuka friendship drabbles. Other characters would make their appearances, but our favourite boys would still be the main focus of each chapter. _

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

IOIOIOIOI

The ebony haired boy yawned, groggily attempting to rub away the final remains of sleep induced haze from his vision as the image of a petite blond began to sharpen before him, soft cerulean eyes seemingly alight with unmasked devotion as his hand continued its steady rhythm through his previously dozing friend's dark hair, letting the strands freely trickle through the spaces between his fingers, "How're you feeling?"

Natsume mumbled an incoherent response, too comfortable as he was in using his best friend's lap as a makeshift pillow. Ruka chuckled; soft and warm, "You're going to have to speak up, Natsume."

Crimson eyes cracked open from behind thin eyelids, blearily staring up at the amused blond, "Like-" he broke off, stifling a huge yawn, "-death warmed up."

Ruka's lips thinned in distaste at the weak pun, yet never ceasing his task as he distractedly watched Natsume's dark locks spilled over the side of his thigh, mingling effortlessly into the sharp blades of grass pressing into his admittedly sore bare calves. In goes without saying that the blond had furtively attempted to hinder even the smallest of movements movements ever since Natsume had dozed off, lest the chance of accidently jostling his best friend.

Now, if Ruka was any less devoted a person than what the young boy already is, he would have admitted that remaining in such a position for such a period of time would have easily tested anyone's patience. The warm rays of the late evening sun kissed his fair cheeks, his limbs nearly numb from contortion as he attempted to allow Natsume to rest in, what he _hoped _that is, the most comfortable position that his body would allow.

Nevertheless, Ruka's seemingly never ending devotion never ceased to amaze; he stayed still, merely allowing himself to toy with his friend's dark hair as he slept.

Natsume stirred, the sudden shift of weight against his leg allowing his blood circulation to flow seamlessly within the limb yet again. The owner of the Fire Alice raised a quizzical eyebrow at the blond, his lips upturning just the slightest into the small smile often reserved for those closest to him, "How long are you planning to practice your auditions for being a statue?"

Ruka grinned back at him, waving off the jab and, in a tone that was devoid of any lies or slander, answered truthfully, "Until you decide that you don't need me anymore."

IOIOIOIOI

_End first chapter._

_Reviews would make my day, critiques are encouraged. I'd like to get better at this XD_

_Thanks for reading!_

_- D.I.S_


	2. Chapter 2

_And here we have the second instalment to this series. This was rather rushed, but I generally liked how it turned out overall though._ **::shrug:: **_Writing about Ruka in slight pain is strangely... satisfying. As long as he comes out alright in the end that is =D It just gives me another reason to write protective!Natsume. And that fills my heart with joy ^-^_

_Pollux: You have just summed up my feelings for the entire manga. I was starting to believe that I was the only one with that train of thought _**::bows::**_ Thanks for your comment!_

_And to everyone who added this story to their favourites and alerts, it all means a lot to me too!_

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

IOIOIOIOI

As his body, all nine years or so of him, broke the relative calm of the pool's surface that he found himself hurtling head first into, Ruka instinctively remembered the icy shock that shot down his spine at the initial wetness. The body of water took on the distinct feel of a blanket, smothering him through thick, frozen fingers that stretched tautly across his slight torso, thus rendering him breathless as whatever air left in his lungs, not unlike the after effects of a severe blow to the gut, rapidly dispelled from his body; ultimately winding him.

Impulsively, he inhaled. Unfortunately, although the need for the action was thoroughly justified, it was, without a doubt, untimely as he received nothing more than a mouthful of water in place of life giving oxygen. He choked, slipped as the water rushed over his head and pushed him under, and froze.

When he was six, he had managed, after numerous valiant attempts in doing so, to leave the watchful eye of his by-standing choice of seemingly never ending spiral of bodyguards. He had crept to the back of his house, animatedly watching the vast world around him stretch on either side of up to the very edges where the sky kissed the earth. There had been a shallow duck pond there, if his memory served.

True to its namesake, several ducks were drifting lazily across the clear surface. Ever the curious child, Ruka had taken off, waddling in knee deep water as the ducks jostled around him. He had laughed, a melody as golden as his bright locks of sunshine coloured hair that seemed to only make the ducks more persistent in their movements, lightly pressing against his knees and affectionately skimming the back of his thighs.

The water had been freezing too.

He had gotten in trouble for that escapade. If his mother's near hysterical shriek from behind was any indicator, it was safe to assume that he would probably never see the ducks again.

The more Ruka thought about it, the more he considered the events of trauma in his childhood that had often been linked with water. There was the incident where he had stumbled clear off his family's yacht, flailing helplessly in the water before his father had noticed and jumped in to effortlessly haul his younger, freezing self back onto the safety of the boat. Then there was also the moment not too long ago where he had slipped in a particularly nasty puddle after a storm. He had trudged back home, soak and caked with layers of mud. A predominantly horrible cold had followed suit.

Water, Ruka had learned long ago, was not his friend. It was this notion that had lead him to not take up swimming as a skill. He had thought that he could just spend his life skirting across the edges of any body of water that he might encounter.

Clearly, this was not the case.

He was out like a light, floating slowly to the bottom of the pool long before anyone realized the problem taking place not three feet from them, ages before another body sidled towards him, strong arms encircling his frame before a powerful kick propelled them upwards towards the surface again.

He remained blissfully unaware as Narumi tenderly laid him down on the cold cement on the side of the pool and as Inchou, ever reliable, dropped to his knees beside him, hands locked as he valiantly attempted (note: _attempted_) to pump the water out of his still chest under Narumi's firm instructions. He didn't realize the heartbeat of silence that followed when Hotaru lightly pushed the thin, bespectacled boy aside, amethyst eyes clearly unfazed as she placed a slim, metallic plate across his chest, nor did he feel the warmth seeping through his limbs as she activated her latest invention.

It was, preferably, for the best that he did not hear the sound of scuffling feet and barely concealed panic as Natsume bodily parted the sea of students around his friend. It was a testament to his infamy when nearly everyone simultaneously cleared a path for the crimson eyed boy, none of them opting to stand in his way. He neither felt nor heard as Natsume bent forwards on his knees, tipped his head back, squeezed his nose and then breathed for him.

The first thing that he realized as he came around was the feel of a strikingly warm forehead resting against his. He felt nails resting against his scalp and footsteps in every direction, a cacophony of sound that left him reeling from shock. Someone was holding his hand just out of his line of vision and Natsume was murmuring a soft string of words to him, "You're okay, don't worry, just keep breathing, I'm here, you're okay," the words were repeated in no particular order, a haze of warmth and breath and life that Ruka could make no sense of.

Regardless, bone weary and still disoriented, Ruka was content to lay there. The numbing pain in his chest left no room for thought or feel when he felt a characteristically larger physique slip an arm below the fold of his knees and Natsume reluctantly pulled back, the treasured heat diminishing along with his close presence. He felt himself lifted off the ground and cradled, a soft yet commanding voice in his ear repeating Natsume's mantra as he was lead away from the poolside. He attempted to look over his shoulder, to search the crowd for a glimpse of his best friend but was rewarded by a sharp spasm of pain along his neck line, allowing a strangled gasp to pass his lips before he felt the darkness sweep in again.

As he tittered at the edge of consciousness yet again though, balancing precariously in fear of pitching forwards to the abyss, he was convinced that a soft, threatening growl had nearly indefinitely reached his ears: "Who the _hell _pushed him in?"

Despite his condition, he felt a surging wave of pity for anyone unfortunate enough to be within a thirty feet radius of an irate Hyuuga Natsume.

IOIOIOIOI

_End second chapter._

_This chapter's considerably longer than the previous. It took a chunk of the night for my muse to come back to me. Again, reviews and criticisms are encouraged please! ^-^_

_- D.I.S_


	3. Chapter 3

_Oh my stars, this chapter is _**long**_ overdue. I'd say the usual, life caught up with me and forced me to abandon my writing for a bit yadayadayada... but it still doesn't excuse the extremely unforgivably long hiatus I took. Things have been hectic around here these past few months, I just hope it sorts itself out soon. I'm getting tired of all this._

_Anyway! This chapter is a tribute to the gorgeous, lovely, spectacular piece of magic that is Chapter 146. I honestly admit that I cried reading it. To get back to the basis of their friendship after the NatsuMikan 'proposal' scene made it all worth it. Like I've said before, I like Natsume and Mikan together, but pushing away everybody else for the sake of romance made me gag a little. No offence meant to anyone. _

_Last but not least, I was blown away each time I come up to check my e-mail to find yet _**another**_ alert waiting for me. Thanks to everyone who commented/favourite/put me/this story under alert. No words can describe how happy all of you made me ^-^_

_Now, to ignore this rambling author's note, onwards to the next instalment!_

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

IOIOIOIOI

It was either he was a very light sleeper, or his senses had been honed to be perfectly attuned to Natsume's presence, as frequent –or not- as they had been this past few weeks. Ruka honestly couldn't be bothered to find out, nor would he wish that it was not the case. If it would illuminate his understanding, he'd happily admit that it was both a blessing and a curse at the same time. For the most part, unfortunately, it seems to make much less sense when he's saying out loud instead of letting it roll about in his mind, as if all logic from that statement had decided itself too delicate to be brought out to the realm of reality and had locked itself into a sealed corner in the shadowy recesses of his youthful mind.

Or something like that, Ruka honestly does _not _do a philosopher proud when still floating in that comfortable hazy cloud of bliss inducing sleep.

The blonde blinks blearily, cerulean eyes squinting in the darkness of the late twilight to adjust to the gloom. A figure loomed just out of his haze, his mind sharpening if not just for an instant at the sight of the familiar slouched posture at the threshold of the room, just a step out into the darkened corridor. His features were bathed in murky shadow, yet Ruka would recognize him anywhere; if not only for the pair of intense crimson eyes that stood out against the darkness.

Slightly more alert, the blonde struggled to a sitting position, the subconscious part of his mind noting that he had been curled comfortably by the large bay window, a few feet away from Natsume's –then empty- bed. "Ngh... N-Natsume?"

The raven haired boy moved in closer, confirming his identity with a light grunt in response. His tone left nothing to be argued with, "How long have you been here?"

Ruka paused, his sleep clouded mind fumbling to set everything into place. He remember coming into his best friend's room, remembered sitting down on Natsume's bed and hugging his long underused pillow close to his lithe frame, as if he was trying to cling on to the memory of his friend to see him through the rest of the day, or however long it takes for Natsume to come back (_when_ he comes back, never _if). _He remembers watching in building horror as a single tear slid down the slope of his nose, teasingly dangling at the tip before dripping down onto the embroidered pillow case. He remembered riding the tidal wave of humiliation; Natsume was the one risking his life somewhere out there for people who barely knew him, who alienated him with a brand of stoic indifference that gave due to his infamy, how could he be as selfish as to cry just out of the fear of abandonment?

It was fair to say that time had become non-existent for just that little while.

He answered as truthfully as possible, knowing that it was not –technically- a lie, "A while." A pause, then he added, "I wa –_am_ waiting for you."

Natsume nodded once, the darkness masking the soft smile blooming on his face. He was thankful; hopefully it will also mask the bruises on his arms. "It's late."

A stifled yawn, "I know."

A muffled chuckle, "So sleep."

His body recognized the feeling of a blanket being tossed over him before his brain came to terms with the lumpy material that his friend had been holding prior. Natsume was leaning over him, close enough for him to make out the contours on his friend's face before pulling away. Feeling a blind surge of panic, he instinctively reached out, feeling his hand close over a warmer wrist, holding him in place. Cerulean eyes were wide, suddenly tingling with nervous energy, "You're n-not leaving again, are you?"

This time when Natsume smiled, Ruka saw it. The owner of the Fire Alice leaned down again, pressing a feather light kiss to the top of his blonde head before pulling the blanket snug over Ruka again, "Sleep baka. I'll be right here when you wake up."

It must have been his subconscious thought again, delirious from relief; Ruka believed him.

IOIOIOIOI

_End third chapter._

_Again, reviews would make my day. And I was wondering... if anyone can supply me with some prompts/themes that I could work on for this project? I'll be extremely grateful ^-^ Just drop it in a review or anything. It would help me a lot._

_Thanks again for reading!_

_D.I.S_


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